A week later and things were looking up. Carol had been found alive in the tombs, Rick was semi normal again, and the baby was doing great. Carl had named her Judith, and she was a tough kid, just like her brother. Though clearly the events lately were bothering him as he was quieter and clearly unhappy. His mom had just died, so Jupiter could understand his pain. That didn't make it any easier to look at each day though, so when Carl did finally say something to Jupiter and they managed to hold a whole conversation, Jupiter had an idea of what she could do to cheer him up.

She knew that it was a dorky idea, but when everyday is a living nightmare, a bit of dorky fun was sometimes necessary to keep everyone sane. So at breakfast that day, Jupiter brought forward her idea to the group.

"Hey, you know what me and Carl figured yesterday?" She started, and everyone looked up at her, so she continued. "We were on the road all winter, so guess what we missed?"

Carl managed a small smile and answered her question quietly. "Christmas?"

Jupiter grinned at him and nodded. "Christmas. Exactly... So I was thinking maybe we could do something? Lighten the mood. Give gifts and decorate... Just something to make it feel less like we're living in a prison and the world ended. I don't know..." She trailed off, regretting saying anything and blushing deeply.

But then the others started nodding and agreeing that it was a good idea, which succeeded in cheering Carl up somewhat.

"Yeah, that's actually a great idea, Jupe," Glenn grinned as the others started discussing stuff, so Jupiter grinned back at him and then sat back in her seat, smiling to herself as her plan worked. Daryl and Carol came in a few moments later, having been patrolling the fences. Daryl sat down beside Jupiter, casually draping his arm over her shoulders and tilting her head to face him so he could kiss her mouth gently, making her smile.

In the beginning, Jupiter had initiated most of their contact as Daryl was too shy or awkward, especially around other people, but he'd grown more confident as time went on and she was always pleasantly surprised when Daryl randomly showed her affection when he was near her, even if it was just taking her hand or kissing her cheek as they passed each other.

"Mornin'" Daryl said as he moved back, "You were out of it this morning. Didn't even stir when I got up," he commented and Jupiter shrugged. She'd been having nightmares again and didn't sleep that well during the night. Not that she was gonna tell Daryl that. He spent most nights in her cell, so he'd woke up with her a few times, when she woke up screaming. She didn't want to tell him what her nightmares were about. She still had the airport nightmare occasionally, but lately it had been more Daryl central.. Like the night before when she'd dreamt that they were back on the farm, and Daryl died for her, ripped to pieces in front of her very eyes.

She put those thoughts of of her head and told Daryl that she wanted to go back to that Mall that day, and would he come with her so she could find gifts for the others. He seemed a tad surprised about the gift part, but she quickly filled him and Carol in on the christmas idea.

Carol seemed excited by the idea and quickly mentioned baking something, if they could find her the things she'd need on their run. Of course Jupiter agreed and asked any of the others if they wanted anything or if they wanted to come to the mall.

Axel and Glenn agreed to come, so soon enough the four of them were gearing up and climbing into the truck, Jupiter grabbing the keys before anyone else could, and ignoring the protests as she stuck her tongue out and jumped into the driver seat.

So maybe Jupiter wasn't the best driver in the world, but she was getting better...

There was a tap on the roof and she turned around to see Daryl in the truck bed, smirking at her through the window.

"You don't have to take the corners on two wheels. Try to remember that," he smirked, so she flipped him off and turned back around to hide her grin.

They'd only made it two miles before Glenn looked like he was gonna puke, so Jupe took pity on him and climbed out, getting in the back with Daryl.

They'd just set off again when Daryl looked at her and raised his eyebrows at her. He gestured to her bare legs. "You really think shorts is the best option for doing a run? Especially after last time?" He asked, so Jupiter shrugged and laughed at him.

"Dude, you sound like my dad! You gonna make me go home and get changed?" She challenged and he smirked before shaking his head and putting his hand over the tattoo exposed on her thigh.

"Nah. But I ain't letting you outta my sight till we're back in the prison."

Jupiter laughed and pushed his shoulder lightly. "Like you can keep your eyes off me anyway!" She teased, and Daryl snorted, though said nothing, so Jupiter just grinned and took his hand, knowing she was just as guilty. Maybe it was because the world had ended and tomorrow wasn't promised, or maybe it was just because she was madly in love with him, but either way, Jupiter couldn't help but smile every time she saw Daryl, her eyes always going back to him when they were in a room together. He was usually looking back, and they'd have whole conversations with just their eyes, the rest of the group totally oblivious for the most part, though Carol would sometimes smirk at the two of them if she caught them, and they'd just chuckle and rejoin the spoken conversations around them.

"You know I'm gonna be fine right? Last time was a stupid mistake because I was hurrying. This time I'm not in a hurry, and I've got you guys to watch my back... This is gonna be an easy run, and the four of us are gonna go home like little Christmas elves and try and put a smile on everyones faces. The good Karma should be working in our favour..."

An hour later and Jupiter's theory was looking good. There only seemed to be three walkers in the car park, and the doors were still chained like before, so there wouldn't be too many on the inside, and no one else had cleared everything out. So they were all in high spirits as they jumped out of the truck by the doors Jupiter had crawled through last time. Despite the fact she'd have back up this time, Jupiter still didn't like the thought of going back into the darkness inside.

"Hey, maybe we can find the backup generators and turn them on?" She suggested to the others, and Glenn nodded, casting a look back at the darkness beyond the doors.

"Yeah, we probably should. Minimise the chance of walkers sneaking up on us... And we'll be able to actually find things easier... Good idea, Jupe."

She grinned and winked at him. "Aye, I've been known to have a few... I'll go for the generators and you guys start shopping?" She offered, but Glenn shook his head.

"No. I'll go with Axel, and you and Daryl head back to the place you found the formula. See if there's anything left for Judith... You know where it is, so it'll be faster..." He explained, so she shrugged and then nodded, not particularly wanting to find the generator room anyway, knowing it was likely dark and creepy anyway. She'd rather take the baby supply run first.

Well now that's settled... She thought, picking up the bolt cutters and about to break the chain, when Daryl stopped her, walking ahead of her and kicking the slightly open door, making it smash against the frame and make a loud noise that echoed inside. He stepped back with a finger up.

"Give it a few seconds..."

Nothing.

"Ok, this shop's clear for now, lets go," he gestured, letting Jupiter proceed with breaking the chains, his crossbow raised just in case, Glenn and Axel the same with their melee weapons. As soon as the locks were broken, she grabbed a handle and pulled it open, jumping out of the way, just in case. But there was nothing there. No walkers in sight, and no groaning to suggest any were close by, so the four of them relaxed and were about to go inside when Jupiter remembered something and told them all to stop.

"I've got a map," she announced, pulling it from her pocket and handing it to Glenn. "I found it on the floor last time I was here. Use it to find the generator room, I know where I'm going... Here," she pointed at the store on the map. "In case you can't get the generators working. This is where we're gonna start."

Glenn thanked her for the map and then the four of them quietly moved into the mall together, weapons and torches raised as they moved as a unit, making it through the first store and into the wing of the mall. There the four of them split up, Axel and Glenn going one way to look for the generator room, while Daryl and Jupiter headed back to the pharmacy.

Even with Daryl beside her, Jupiter was just as creeped out this time as she'd been the first, a knife in her hand just in case. Her nerves were justified, as the two of them took down five walkers on the way to the pharmacy, probably the same ones that had heard her scream before, lingering as nothing else caught their attention. They were easy enough to kill, most of them unaware of Jupiter and Daryl until they already had a bolt or knife in their heads.

They quickly searched the bodies for anything useful before continuing forwards, making it to the pharmacy with no further troubles, other than the still locked shutter.

"I'll go through the ceiling again..." Jupiter sighed, heading back into the outdoors shop while Daryl attempted to lift the shutter, just in case. While he did that, Jupiter spotted the crossbow bolts by the counter again and quickly shoved them into her pack, hiding them from Daryl before he returned. When he joined her, she was looking at walkie talkies, handing one to him and turning her own on, testing it before attaching it to her shorts.

"There, now you'll know if I'm dead or not," she figured with a playful grin, but Daryl didn't see the humour.

"That ain't funny... Why do you have to climb in there again? Why not me?" He demanded, and Jupiter pulled a face at him.

"Because I'm lighter and smaller! And you've got the crossbow, so if any walkers come while I'm up there, you don't have to get close to fight them off. I've only got two knives..." She tried, and Daryl frowned but then nodded, seeing her point, but still not looking happy about it, no doubt thinking about the last time she'd convinced him to let her go somewhere alone while he waited for her, and what had almost happened after. She took pity on him, touching his arm lightly. "Daryl, the room's clear. That's where the walker almost got me. It's dead... I should be the one worrying about you, not the other way round... Now give me a hand so I can get up there and get the supplies."

He didn't argue, so Jupiter gave him a quick kiss before heading to the shelves she'd climbed before, allowing Daryl to give her a boost up, and then getting to her feet slowly. The shelves still shook beneath her weight, but soon enough she'd jumped up to the roof again, climbing through and into the darkness once more. The tile she'd moved before was still missing, a fact which she forgot until she almost fell through it, catching herself at the last second and swearing as her shoulder complained. It would not have been good if she'd fallen through and landed on the walker body below.

That was gonna be a problem, she realised, lowering herself down as far as she could before pausing, not wanting to land on the body, but also not having much of a choice... Sighing, she was just about to let go anyway, when the lights suddenly turned on, blinding and surprising her enough that she let go, landing on the ground with an undignified oomph! Somehow missing the walker body all together.

Now the lights were on, she could see everything, including the key by the doors that would open the shutters, meaning Daryl could join her. She went over to them and twisted the key, smiling when the shutter started rolling up.

Daryl waited on the other side, his pack fuller than before, probably full of supplies from the Outdoor shop next door. He left that pack at the door and came in with an empty one. "The other two found the generators then," Jupiter commented as he joined her, his eyes immediately moving to the dead walker on the ground before going back to hers, nodding.

"Makes our job easier," he agreed, stepping over fallen things on the floor as he headed for the baby section. Jupiter joined him, and between the two of them, they filled three bags with baby supplies and anything else that would help the group, almost clearing the pharmacy completely by the time Axel and Glenn found them.

When they saw the full bags, they cheered and smiled, happy for what they'd found. The four of them returned to the truck with what they'd got from the pharmacy and then handed out walkies so everyone had one, before heading back in for what they'd been asked to get. They each had a list of things they'd been asked to get from the others, for people, or just things to keep their eyes out for.

The mall was well stocked, looking like it hadn't been looted too much, so it didn't take long for them to fill one truck and then find another, beginning to fill that too. They were on their last trip inside when Jupiter tried peeking at what Daryl's list said. "What've you got left to get?" She asked, but Daryl quickly scrunched the list up and turned away from her.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He teased, all but poking his tongue out at Jupiter, so she huffed in mock annoyance and walked on, her list done. She was only there now for back up, and to look for anything else that might be useful or nice for someone. It was then that she found herself in the make up section, and smiled at the thought of how she'd used to complain about the price of foundation as one of her may problems, but now had to fight for her life every day and hadn't even thought about make up in a long time.

Deciding that they had space, Jupiter grabbed a few things, figuring it might be fun for her and the other girls to mess around with it at some point, just for a laugh, or in an effort to feel less grimey than they usually did.

She'd just closed her bag when Axel found her, smiling nervously at her, still shifty around her since she'd put her knife at Tomas's throat and then through his hand. She didn't have a problem with Axel and was trying to scare him less, but that was easier said than done, especially when Daryl scowled at him every time his gaze lingered on Jupiter a little too long.

In a way she felt sorry for him. He hadn't seen a female in god knows how long, and with limited chances of meeting a girl that wasn't dead, the occasional glance at her body didn't bother her too much. Though at the same time, she could understand Daryl's glares. Had she been in his position and saw another girl looking at him how Axel looked at her, she'd have lost it a while ago.

"We're ready to go. The other two are waiting outside..." He explained, so she nodded and followed after him, back into the natural light and throwing her pack in the back of the new car before turning back to the others, waiting to hear what was happening next.

Glenn closed the doors to the mall, not locking them in case anyone else needed supplies, but closing them to keep walkers out. Then it was decided that they'd go straight back to the prison, not wanting to risk losing the supplies they'd found, so Jupiter nodded and got in the passenger side of the Land Rover they'd found, Daryl driving.

The two of them drove behind Axel and Glenn, keeping an eye out in case any supplies should fall off the back of the truck, but none did, and they made it back to the prison in under an hour, the others waiting eagerly and running back to the main building after the cars.

Everyone helped to carry things into the cell block, piling things up against the wall, and Jupiter could see why. While they'd been gone, the others had piled mattresses and blankets around, making a little seating area with plates of food in the middle. It took all of Jupiter's willpower not to collapse on the mattresses and stuff her face on food, instead helping bring the rest of the stuff in and then moving the land rover to the other cars, closely followed by Glenn in the truck.

The weather had changed on the way back to the prison, and the wind was beginning to pick up some more now, so Jupiter and Glenn hurried back to the cell block, closing the door behind them to keep the chilly wind out. They'd got back just in time, it seemed, as the rain started, hammering against the windows as the group found seats around the food. Jupiter didn't mind the rain, feeling cosier with the others because of it. She'd always loved the sound of rain on glass, so she had a faint smile as Daryl came to sit behind her, his legs on either side of her, and arms snaking around her middle.

Carol passed out a plate of food to everyone, and for a moment there was silence as people dug in, but then Rick spoke up, Judith cooing in his arms. "Before we start with everything, I think we owe thanks to the four who went out today and brought this all back... Especially Jupiter, who had the idea in the first place... We don't get to do nice things enough as of late, so thank you," he finished, and the others cheered, making Jupiter blush slightly before speaking up.

"Hey, I don't get all the credit. It's Carl who helped me come up with it," she pointed out, laughing and cheering with everyone while Carl smiled shyly. Deciding she'd start, Jupiter pushed a cardboard box towards him. "I figure these'll keep you entertained for a while," she smiled. Everyone watched as Carl quickly opened the box, his face lighting up when he saw the contents, reaching inside with a huge grin on his face.

"No way! This is awesome!" He cheered as he pulled out a stack of comic books, making various sounds of disbelief and happiness as he looked over each of them, the others laughing at his joy.

From there, everyone handed each other gifts, laughing as they went, watching everyone having a great time. Jupiter's face was aching from smiling so much, but she didn't mind one bit, laughing along with everyone and grinning when people were given their gifts.

Soon enough alcohol was passed between the adults and the giggling continued. Jupiter took a swig of whiskey, and Daryl chuckled and whispered in her ear that she was a lightweight, just like he'd done so long ago, back when they'd only just become friends. How much had changed since then? For once she smiled as she thought about it. They'd lost people on the way, yeah, but they hadn't died for nothing, and they'd never be forgotten. Judith would grow up knowing the stories of all they'd lost, Jupiter would make sure of it.

She was interrupted from her thoughts when Daryl handed her two things, one in a box, and the other in a pouch looking thing. She accepted them with a smile, wondering what they were. She looked at the box first, laughing when she read them. 300 PG Tips Tea bags.

"I figured its a little taste of home," Daryl whispered, and Jupiter smiled before turning to him, kissing him lightly before thanking him. She was touched by the thought, so she didn't have the heart to tell him that she detested tea, and had since she was a kid. She was a coffee girl till the bitter end.

Then she moved on to the next gift in her lap, opening the pouch and grinning widely when she saw what it held. Inside was a harness looking thing, with only one leg and a belt, heavy but she knew why. It was a knife belt with a leg sheath, filled with throwing knives.

"They'll be easier than your hunting knife, and I brought spares in case you lose any," Daryl explained, smiling when he saw how impressed Jupiter was with her new knives. She couldn't wait to try them out. She thanked Daryl again and then reached for one of her bags that she stored his gifts in.

She gave him the whole bag, knowing it had only his things in it anyway, and watched happily as Daryl pulled out what she'd got him. First he pulled out loads of new crossbow bolts, which he laughed at, thanking her before placing them with his others. But then he found the rest of the stuff in her bag.

"Babe..." He pulled out various things for his bike, extra parts and things he'd need for it. Axel had helped her find the things for his bike as he knew about Bikes too. Daryl's bike had belonged to his brother, so Jupiter knew how important it was for him to keep it going in good shape. Jupiter laughed at his reaction, looking like a kid on... well, Christmas...

He continued messing around with the arts and supplies, so Jupiter reached behind her for the most obvious gift she'd brought back, handing it to Glenn. It was a guitar. As soon as she'd seen it, she'd thought of him, remembering Dale finding one so long ago. She'd seen Glenn with it a few times, but like so many other things, it was abandoned on the farm when they'd ran. This one wouldn't be left behind. They had a home there and the walkers couldn't get in.

Glenn chuckled and thanked Jupiter for the guitar, playing a few notes before looking up sheepishly, seeing everyone watching him. "You know, I don't know how to play right? I always wanted to learn, but never did..."

Jupiter didn't know if it was the giddy mood they were all in, or the alcohol in her system, or maybe even a mix of both, but either way, she found herself speaking up proudly. "I know how... I was in a band, back in Britain."

She had been. Her and Alaska had formed a band when they were 15 and it had lasted all that time. There'd been others in it too, and they'd been pretty good, even playing a few gigs. Jupiter had played guitar and was the lead singer, a talent she hadn't told any of them about, even Daryl. He knew she could play guitar, but she'd never brought up that she could sing too.

"Play us a song!" Carl called, the others cheering in agreement, and Glenn holding out his guitar for her to take. On a normal day, Jupiter might have refused, but as it was, she was too happy to say no, and the smile on Carl's face was addictive. She wanted him to be happy for as long as they could keep it going. So she stood up and accepted Glenn's guitar, the others cheering louder as she sat back down, testing out a few chord shapes before looking up at the others, seeing their waiting faces.

"What do you want to hear? Any suggestions?" She asked with a chuckle, feeling like an exhibit in a museum. No one suggested anything, so she shrugged and giggled a little nervously before clearing her throat. "Ok, so I haven't done this in a while, and I'm a little drunk right now, so don't be too harsh..." She mumbled before taking a deep breath and then diving in, playing the first note and then opening her mouth and singing.

"I'm only one call away

I'll be there to save the day
Superman got nothing on me
I'm only one call away

Call me, baby, if you need a friend
I just wanna give you love
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon
Reaching out to you, so take a chance

No matter where you go
You know you're not alone

I'm only one call away
I'll be there to save the day
Superman got nothing on me
I'm only one call away

Come along with me and don't be scared
I just wanna set you free
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon
You and me can make it anywhere
For now, we can stay here for a while
'Cause you know, I just wanna see you smile

No matter where you go
You know you're not alone

I'm only one call away
I'll be there to save the day
Superman got nothing on me
I'm only one call away

And when you're weak I'll be strong
I'm gonna keep holding on
Now don't you worry, it won't be long
Darling, and when you feel like hope is gone
Just run into my arms

I'm only one call away
I'll be there to save the day
Superman got nothing on me
I'm only one, I'm only one call away
I'll be there to save the day
Superman got nothing on me
I'm only one call away

I'm only one call away."

She strummed the last note and then looked up. For a moment nobody moved or said a word, all of them too busy staring at her with their mouths open. She blushed deeply and went to hand Glenn his guitar back, but then they snapped out of it and everyone was suddenly cheering and clapping, freaking out that she could sing and hadn't told anybody.

Jupiter just continued blushing as she made her way back to Daryl, sitting down beside him and laughing as the others continued to tell her how good she was, and ask her if she had any more hidden talents. She laughed along with them for a bit, feeling Daryl's gaze on her face, and meeting it after a moment, seeing the smile in his eyes as he looked at her. She smiled back, her whole heart feeling about ready to burst with the joy she'd felt that day. Everyone was happy, she'd got to do something she'd loved before the world ended, and she was alive and with her family. Everything was great.

She should've known it was just the calm before a storm.